1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the mounting of telephone dials and, more particularly, to the interchangeable mounting of different types thereof on common support structure secured within a telephone housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Telephone sets generally incorporate either one of two standardized types of dial assemblies, hereinafter referred to simply as dials. One of such dials is of the rotary type, the other being of the pushbutton type. Unfortunately, while these two basic dials have been adapted for use in a common telephone housing heretofore, the construction of the dials is considerably different, resulting in their overall dimensions, as well as profiles, being substantially different. As a result, these alternative dials have often not been readily interchangeable within a common housing without considerable modification of the support structure, which modifications normally have involved appreciable time, effort and expense.
Compounding the problem of dial interchangeability has been the fact that different types of dials typically require their respective securement to associated mounting structure at different locations thereon. This may result for any one of a number of reasons. For example, while most dials typically employ a spaced pair of brackets or tabs to effect the securement of the dial to associated support structure, such a pair of tabs is often located at a different position for each type of dial, relative to the X or Y axes center-lines thereof. Alternatively, a given type of dial may be utilized in conjunction with an array of auxiliary pushbuttons, for example, that requires the dial to be slightly displaced from an otherwise normal position within the housing so that the latter can accommodate such auxiliary apparatus.
Accordingly, whenever conventional unitary dial support structure, such as in the form of a U-shaped bracket secured to the base of the telephone housing, has been employed heretofore, specially constructed adapters have often been required. Even with such adapters secured to the terminating ends of the upstanding legs of the bracket, the unitary bracket has often had to be unfastened, repositioned, and a spacer possibly even inserted thereunder, so as to allow the interchange and mounting of two different types of dials.
In order to obviate the need for special adapters, another prior dial mounting assembly has utilized a pair of spaced mounting brackets, individually secured to the base of the telephone housing, and each formed with an offset portion along its length. The offset portions are dimensioned and arranged such that by interchanging the brackets, the spacing therebetween can be selectively chosen so as to accommodate two different types of dials.
In an effort to facilitate the interchangeability of such mounting brackets, and their securement to the base of a telephone housing, another prior arrangement has employed a pair of bracket-receiving fixed channel members that are permanently secured to the base of the housing. Upon inserting each bracket into the associated channel member, a pair of resilient locking tabs, forming a part of the channel member, are deflected and subsequently snapped over the bracket so as to secure the latter to the telephone base. The brackets, in addition to being formed with offset wall portions, have multiple screw-receiving slots formed in the upper end regions thereof so as to allow different types of dials to be positioned at either the same or different positions within the telephone housing. The need to take precautionary measures during the mounting operation so as to insure that the interchangeable support brackets are not only correctly oriented, but associated with the proper support channel, for a given type of dial to be mounted, has unfortunately required a degree of care that can be prone to error, and further contributes to the overall dial assembly time.
Also contributing to the time required heretofore to mount or remove a given dial, regardless of type, has been the fact that threaded screws, as previously mentioned, have been employed to secure the outwardly extending tabs of the dial to the respectively associated support brackets, of whatever type, secured within the telephone housing. Unfortunately, in many of such prior dial mounting arrangements, access to such threaded screws is only possible after the support brackets have been removed so as to allow the brackets and dial, as a composite assembly, to be removed from the housing. In such cases, it has made very little difference whether the same dial, or a replacement dial of the same or different type, was to be re-mounted within the housing as far as the number of assembly operations required is concerned. As a minimum, such mounting operations have required the securement of the new dial to the upper ends of the two spaced support brackets by threaded screws, with the lower ends of the latter then refastened in some way to the base of the telephone housing.
From the foregoing, it is seen that the mounting, removal, replacement or interchange of dials with respect to a common telephone housing heretofore has proven to be quite time consuming and expensive, whether such operations were performed within a manufacturing facility, repair center or out in the field. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It, therefore, is an object of the present invention to provide a modular mounting of more simplified, inexpensive and improved construction for telephone dials that not only permits dials of the same type to be rapidly and simply mounted within and removed from a telephone housing incorporating common dial support structure secured therewithin, but equally facilitates the interchange of dials of either the same or different types, regardless of any differences either in overall structural dimensions, or in points of attachment, therebetween.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above and other objects are realized in several preferred illustrative modular dial mounting assemblies wherein a uniquely constructed pair of resilient mounting elements are secured to and interposed between the dial and associated support structure permanently secured within a telephone housing.
Considered more specifically, each of a pair of mounting tabs, mutually disposed and extending downwardly from opposite sides of a telephone dial, has a uniquely constructed spring clip secured thereto. Each spring clip is suitably dimensioned so as to be received within an aligned opening formed in associated support structure secured within the telephone housing.
In one preferred embodiment, each spring clip has a fastening section and a generally U-shaped section with a bight that produces outwardly tapered leg portions that are firmly seated, under spring bias, within the associated opening (or openings) in the mounting structure. One leg portion of the seated U-shaped section is also formed to terminate in a pair of spaced and laterally extending support shoulders which rest upon the upper surface of the associated support structure, with the other leg portion being formed with at least one, but preferably a pair of spaced offset beveled shoulders that are located so as to normally bear against the under surface of the support structure and, thereby, result in the spring clip being frictionally locked thereto.
As thus constructed, each spring U-shaped section is not only readily seated and releasably locked within the associated opening(s) of the support structure, but is consistently and reliably located at the same elevation relative to the latter. By simply exerting a pinching force on outwardly extending terminating end regions of the outer leg portions of the mutally disposed pair of spring clips, the latter are readily released from the respective openings in the support structure and, hence, effect the rapid removal of the dial from the telephone housing.
In a preferred illustrative embodiment, the U-shaped section of each spring clip is bifurcated so as to form two spaced pairs of U-shaped legs that may be readily dimensioned, if desired, so as to be respectively received within only two predetermined openings, when there are three or more formed in the associated support structure. With such an arrangement, different combinations of pairs of openings may be readily employed to accommodate either identical or differently dimensioned (and even differently configured) bifurcated legs of the spring clips respectively associated with different types of dials, so as to allow the proper placement of any particular dial at the desired position within the common housing.
Another significant advantage realized by the use of the uniquely constructed spring clips is that the associated support structure having the spring clip-receiving openings formed therein need not be repositioned, interchanged or replaced in order to accommodate the spring clips, and properly position different types of dials. This obviously substantially reduces the time and costs involved in interchanging dials in the field. Moreover, the spring clips embodied in the present invention are compatible for use with associated mounting structure permanently secured to the housing base that may take many different forms.
It is thus seen that in accordane with the principles of the present invention, the modular dial mounting assemblies embodied herein are not only of simplified, inexpensive and reliable construction, but allow for the very rapid mounting of telephone dials of the same or different types on common support structure, as well as for the rapid removal therefrom. Besides the importance of rapid dial mounting at the time of manufacture, equally rapid dial removal and replacement are, of course, also very important in the field, such as at service centers or on customer premises, either for purposes of maintenance, or because of service order changes, for example.